Adjustable bookholder for hospital beds



May 1953 c. A. DAHLGREN ADJUSTABLE BOOKHOLDER FOR HOSPITAL BEDS Filed March 26, 1949 Patented May 19, 1953 ADJUSTABLE BOOKHOLDER FOR HOSPITAL BEDS Carl Axel Dahlgren, Malmo, Sweden, assignor to Sten Bengtsson, Malmo, Sweden Application March 26, 1949, Serial No. 83,557

In Sweden March 24, 1948 This invention relates to an adjustable book holder for hospital beds.

An object of the invention is to provide an adjustable book holder which makes it considerably easier for a patient who is confined to his bed to read a book, irrespective of the position the patient occupies in his bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a book holder which permits a patient who lies more or less extended on his back to read a book, the book being held above the patient with its leaves turned downwards.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing illustrating an embodiment of the book holder according to the invention.

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation of the book holder.

Fig. 2 is a vertical elevation of part of the book holder in another position.

Fig. 3 is a section through a detail of the frame of the book holder.

Fig. 4 is a section, on a larger scale, through part of the book holder on line IV--IV in Fi 1.

ig. 5 is a side view of part of the book holder in a special position to permit the patient to read when lying extended on his back.

Referring to the drawing, the book holder comprises a frame I and a book supporting plate 2 carried by said frame. The frame I comprises a tubular upright 3 which may befixed with its lower end to e. g. the edge of a bed or a table or any other piece of furniture located beside a hospital bed, by means of a clamping device 4. Inserted with its ne leg into the upright 3 is an angularly bent tube 5 which may be clamped in any desired position of height in the upright 3 by means of a knurled nut 6 which may be screwed onto the upper slit and threaded end of the upright 3. The angularly bent tube 5 in turn supports a rod I inserted into the other horizontal leg of the tube 5. Said rod 1 may be clamped in this horizontal leg of the tube 5 by means of a clamping screw 8. Finally, a spindle 9 is pivotally mounted on the outer end of the rod 1 and may be clamped in any desired angular position relative to the rod by means of a tension nut ID.

The book supporting plate 2 is arranged on the spindle 9 so as to permit swinging of the plate with the spindle as its axis. For this purpose the plate 2 is provided at the back with a fitting H which, equidistant from the lateral edges of the plate, is formed as a sleeve which 2 Claims. (01. 45-82) fits on to the spindle 9. Furthermore, the plate 2 is provided with another sleeve I2 which also fits around the spindle 9 above the sleeve II. The said sleeve I2 is slidable on the spindle 9 and may be clamped thereto in any desired position by means of a clamping screw 13 projecting on to the face of the plate 2 through a slot [4 (cf. Fig. 4) which is in parallel with and equidistant to the lateral edges of the plate 2. The sleeve [2 is fixedly attached to a ruler l5 arranged on the face of the plate '2 and in parallel with the upper and lower edges of the plate 2, by means of a connecting member 56 extending through the slot I4. At the lower edge of the plate 2 there is fixedly attached a ruler H which is also in parallel with this edge. As will readily be seen, the clamping screw i3 enables locking of the displaceable ruler [5 at any desired distance from the stationary ruler I! in order that a book of a given. height may be retained between the rulers. After tightening of the clamping screw (3, the sleeve I12 and thus the ruler I5 are locked also against rotation on the spindle 9 and since the ruler l5 extends altogether to the surface of the book supporting plate I2 the latter will also be held against rotation due to this fact. To prevent the plate 2 from being displaced on the spindle 9 a sleeve 18 fitting around the upper end of the spindle 9 is arranged at the upper edge of the plate 2. The sleeve is is provided with a radial screw I 9 extending into a peripheral groove 20 provided in the spindle.

Due to the fact that the frame l is composed of the parts 3, 5, 1, and 9 adjustable into various positions and that the book supporting plate 2 is rotatable around the spindle 9, the said plate is universally adjustable, viz, so as to occupy every position of inclination in space. Fig. 1 shows a normal position in which the plate is approximately vertical, the rulers l5 and I! being horizontal. Fig. 2 shows another position in which the plate is swung so that the rulers I-5 and I! occupy an oblique position. Fig. 5 finally shows a position in which the face of the plate 2 is turned obliquely downwards in order to enable a person who lies extended on his back to read a book quite comfortably. To retain the book (not shown in Fig. 5) in such a case on the plate 2 the rulers are provided each with a flange [5a and Ila, respectively, bent in the direction of the other ruler and leaving a space between itself and the plate 2. These flanges [5a and Ila may engage the opened book placed between the rulers to retain it for instance in the Fig. 5 position of the book supporting plate. The flanges 15a and Na have their intermediate portions cut away so that the central part of the book remains free along the back, whereby the person who is confined to his bed is enabled to turn the leaves of the book without removing the book from its position between the rulers. Also when the book supporting plate '2 occupies the Fig. 2 position which is adapted to permit the person to read a book (shown at 2| in Fig. 2) when he is lying on his side, the flanges I5a and Ila serve the purpose of holding the book open at the desired page.

Of course, the book holder according to the invention may be constructed otherwise than described above, as far as its dilferent details are concerned. It should be observed especially that the frame I may be made in many different ways without influencing the construction of the book supporting plate 2 and its rulers.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An adjustable book holder for hospital beds or the like, comprising a frame, a book supporting plate universally adjustably mounted on the frame so as to be able to occupy every position of inclination in space, means for connecting and enabling adjustment of said frame and said book supporting plate inter se, including a spindle adjustably associated with said frame and a sleeve fixedly attached to the back of the book supporting plate and non-slidably mounted on said spindle so as to permit turning of said plate around the spindle, means on said plate for retaining a book thereon, comprising two parallel rulers adapted to bear against the upper and lower edges of books, one of said rulers bein displaceable towards and away from the other ruler over the face of said book supporting plate to make the rulers fit books of different heights, a sleeve rotatably and slidably mounted on said spindle, means extending through a slot provided in the book supporting plate and parallel to the spindle for rigidly securing said displaceable ruler to said sleeve, means operable from the front of said book supporting plate for locking the displaceable ruler in relation to the other ruler, and facing flanges on said rulers for engaging the leaves of the book, bent inwardly at right angles to the rulers and leaving free a portion :at the centre of each ruler adjacent the back of the book so as to permit turning of the leaves of the book without operating any part of said book holder, and means for locking the book supporting plate and the connecting means in the desired positions.

2. An adjustable book holder for hospital beds or the like, comprising a frame, a book supporting plate universally adjustably mounted on the frame So as to be able to occupy every position of inclination in space, means for connecting and enabling adjustment of said frame and said book supporting plate inter se, including a spindle adjustably associated with said frame and a sleeve fixedly attached to the back of the book supporting plate and non-slidably mounted on said spindle so as to permit turning of said plate around the spindle, means on said plate for retaining a book thereon, comprising two parallel rulers adapted to bear against the upper and lower edges of books, one of said rulers bein displaceable towards and away from the other ruler over the face of said book supporting plate to make the rulers fit books of different heights, a sleeve rotatably and slidably mounted on said spindle, means extending through a slot provided in the book supporting plate and parallel to the spindle for rigidly securing said displaceable ruler to said sleeve, means operable from the front of said book supporting plate for looking the displaceable ruler in relation to the other ruler, said means consisting of a clamping screw arranged in the said slidable and rotatable sleeve and extending through the said slot provided in the book supporting plate, said clamping screw serving the purpose of clamping the displaceable ruler and of locking the book supporting plate against rotation, and facing flanges on said rulers for engaging the leaves of the book, bent inwardly at right angles to the rulers and leaving free a portion at the centre of each ruler adjacent the back of the book so as to permit turning of the leaves of the book without operating any part of said book holder, and means for locking the book supporting plate and the connecting means in the desired positions.

CARL AXEL DAHLGREN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date, 1,692,337 Forbes Nov. 20, 1928 2,317,001 Thys et al Apr. 20, 1943 2,359,895 Burton Oct. 10, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 66,033 Switzerland May 13, 1913 343,171 Italy Sept. 16, 1936 

